Édouard Cortès | Paris in the Belle Époque

Édouard Leon Cortès (1882-1969), of french and spanish ancestry, was born in Lagny-sur-Marne, a few miles east of Paris.

As an adolescent, he became fascinated with the arts and at seventeen began his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

The year 1901 marked the artist's first exhibition at the Salon des Artistes Francais.

His piece depicting a dramatic Paris street scene at dusk brought him immediate recognition and fame.

David Bowers, 1956 | Surrealist painter

David Michael Bowers was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from art school in Pittsburgh in 1979.

He began working as a staff artist at various studios in the Pittsburgh, PA area.

Two years later, David began teaching his craft at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where he lectured for ten years and was honored as the Keynote Speaker for the Class of 2003.

In 1991, David began his illustration career working mostly with book publishers in New York City in which he completed over one hundred book covers in the span of over ten years.

Meadow Gist, 1975 | Impressionist painter

Meadow Gist chooses the subject matter she paints to express a love and respect of a simpler life, when you grew your own food and more things were crafted by hand.

This is what attracted her to being an artist in the first place, "crafting a unique item that has a piece of me in it, and I can say "I made that".

She enjoys presenting a romantic view of bygone days, and sharing a little of this optimism with all who view her paintings.

Her inspiration comes from the painting of the Russian Impressionists and the way they paint daily life, as well as the Orientalists and the pride they bring to the simple man.

Salvador Dali: "Adoro i miei nemici quando sono intelligenti"

"Ho sfondato il muro della spudoratezza con una disciplina da caserma" - confidava Salvador Dalí in una intervista del 1961 alla giornalista e scrittrice italiana Oriana Fallaci (1929-2006), mentre, nelle successive riflessioni tuonava contro gli pseudo moralisti: "Non sono io il pagliaccio ma lo è questa società mostruosamente cinica e così ingenuamente incosciente che gioca a fingere di essere seria per meglio nascondere la propria follia".

Coco Chanel: "Fashion changes, but style endures"!

Coco Chanel and Romy Schneider

• "Where should one use perfume? A young woman asked. Wherever one wants to be kissed".

• "It’s probably not just by chance that I’m alone. It would be very hard for a man to live with me, unless he’s terribly strong".

And if he’s stronger than I, I’m the one who can’t live with him. … I’m neither smart nor stupid, but I don’t think I’m a run-of-the-mill person".

I’ve been in business without being a businesswoman, I’ve loved without being a woman made only for love".

The two men I’ve loved, I think, will remember me, on earth or in heaven, because men always remember a woman who caused them concern and uneasiness".